John Ball Zoo Bissell Treehouse Reviews
Reviews
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Meaghan Sent on 12/13/2022
Perfect wedding experience!
Working with Annie at the Bissell Treehouse was a dream! She helped make all of our wedding reception dreams come true and we could not have had a better day. She made things as stress free and easy as possible. 100/10 would get married here again and again 🤍 -
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![Addie]()
Addie Sent on 08/17/2021Amazing wedding
I had my dream wedding at the tree house. The zoo staff are great to work with and it is the perfect intimate setting for a wedding. Beautiful view and venue, unique and original! -
![Zach]()
Zach Sent on 02/02/2020A Once in a Lifetime Event
My wife and I worked closely with Skye from the JBZ team and it was remarkable from the first moment we saw the treehouse. There is so many great things to say about JBZ and the team. First the venue is without a doubt one of the most beautiful locations in Michigan. The treehouse is beyond unique and held our 100+ people comfortably. The layout works flawlessly for wedding prep, and the funicular is a blast for the guests. Guests are still talking months later how amazing the venue was. We were able to take amazing pictures around the zoo, and the biggest benefit, the money we paid went to a great organization, that cares truly about their animals and the environment. -
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![Katie]()
Katie Sent on 09/30/2019This venue is a DREAM.
I am SO grateful that I was able to have my wedding reception in this space. It is absolutely stunning and provided us with exactly the vibe that we wanted. It has a beautiful outdoors feel to it, has massive windows with a lot of natural light, and the wood walls are beautiful. I really loved that it had two separate outdoor deck areas for guests who wanted to be outdoors or to socialize without having to yell over loud music. The view of downtown Grand Rapids is AMAZING. We received several comments about how beautiful and unique our reception venue was. The funicular was a huge hit and really gave the guests a fun and unique experience. We also got some stunning photos at the zoo (waterfall pictures, plenty of natural greenery, etc.). Overall, I couldn’t imagine anything better. It was the PERFECT venue for us and my wedding was an absolute dream. The only thing to keep in mind is that the venue works for small to mid-sized weddings. If you have a large guest count, you’ll (sadly!) have to look elsewhere. The alcohol package was through the zoo as well and I am very happy with those services – our guests had a great time. Our coordinator, Darci, was wonderful. Highly recommend! -
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![Geena]()
Geena Sent on 08/26/2019Great Venue!
We had our wedding reception at the Bissell Treehouse at the John Ball Zoo on June 21, 2019. We went with this venue because we are both architects/designers and the architecture is absolutely beautiful, plus riding the funicular to the top is a one of a kind experience!
We had booked a venue in Detroit previously and it all went wrong, so when we decided to rebook somewhere else we were nervous about the same thing happening. That was not the case at all, the staff here are wonderful. They are responsive, knowledgeable, and great to work with. They have all the information you need and call all your vendors to make sure everything is in place for you.
I would say the only downside to this venue is that there is only 2 hours before the start time that are available for set up, so if you are thinking of a DIY wedding you may want to rethink that. We had vendors for everything that needed to be set up, including a day of coordinator for our decorations.
Overall I was very pleased with this venue and got so many compliments on how beautiful it was, i would definitely recommend. -
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![Kelsey]()
Kelsey Sent on 05/07/2019Exceptional Venue
Everyone was raving about our venue choice! The funicular wasn’t running, but the zoo was able to shuttle people up to the treehouse. I wish they had made signs or something to help people know about the shuttles because some of my guests walked the whole zoo to get there!! BUT otherwise EXCELLENT service, EXCELLENT venue. -
![Sunshine & Sprinkles]()
Tynisha Sent on 10/28/2013Anthony was AWESOME. They did change the price of a few things, but he did make sure to give me the heads up. I also booked prior to them upping the rental price, so it was well worth the money. Perfect view, my guest loved the funicular and I had no worries at all. It's also nice to know I can always go back and visit. :) -
![Sarah]()
Sarah Sent on 12/07/2023Dream Wedding
This venue provided us a space that felt magical, unique and elegant all at once making our wedding just wonderful! Annie was our coordinator and she was just a delight to communicate with. The venue was clear and detailed which made decision making a breeze and aided in quick responses to our many questions. The catering list was flexible for all budgets and accommodations available within the venue were fun. We had animals visit our cocktail hour and a fireplace that warmed the ambiance. The bar staff was very friendly and kept the crowd moving which was appreciated; I never once waited in a line for my drinks. The team in all was an honor to works with and they know exactly what they are doing and worked along with my masters of ceremony so well. Thank you JBZ for a night of perfection for us. -
![Lekeah]()
Lekeah Sent on 06/30/2022Mix of earthy and elegance
The JB Zoo was a great choice for us. We loved that the Bissell Tree House had an outdoorsy/nature feel and the ballroom was gorgeous. Pros: Staff was easy to work with and the site is easy to locate. You have option to do both ceremony and reception. Cons: Summer schedule is very busy. Have select catering list you.must use. There is no bridal suite, so if you're having your ceremony here plan to have another place to get ready. Also, the site visits and planning rehearsal times were difficult because we weren't assigned a facility coordinator til the last month though upon booking we were told 2-3mo from our date we would have our venue coordinator assigned as our direct person to coordinate. -
![Aubrey]()
Aubrey Sent on 12/09/2018Great unique venue
My husband and I got married and had our reception at the Bissell Tree House on 10/6/18. They exceeded our expectations on every front. There are a few things that can make planning the day-of tricky, like only getting 2 hours of time to set up prior to the ceremony, but they made this abundantly clear before we ever signed a contract. We were easily able to set things up (though there wasn't much beyond florals - the venue is gorgeous enough on its own) and take a number of pictures before the ceremony.
Our coordinator Darci was wonderful and kept things on track, even with the funicular down for safety reasons on our wedding day. The shuttles that were used instead were very nice!
We received tons of compliments about the beauty and uniqueness of the venue - no regrets!
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